To report a problem regarding street lights, potholes, overgrown vegetation etc please click on the link below to KCC http://www.kent.gov.uk/roads-and-travel/report-a-problem or phone 03000 418 181Once reported, faults can be tracked by reference number, given at time of reporting, to see the status of the fault.

Welcome to the website of St. Cosmus and St. Damian in the Blean Parish Council.

The Parish Council Office is open on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Parish Council meetings are usually on the 2nd Monday of each month except January and August.

The next meeting is on 11th February 2019 at 7.30pm in the committee room of the village hall.

All residents are invited to attend.

BLEAN PARISH COUNCIL

NOTICE OF VACANCY

Notice is hereby given that due to the resignation of Kirsty Vant, a vacancy has arisen in the Office of Councillor for the said ward.

In accordance with section 89(3) of the Local Government Act 1972, where the vacancy occurs within six months before the day on which the councillor whose office is vacant would regularly have retired, an election shall not be held under section 89(1) of the Act, and the vacancy will be filled at the next scheduled election of councillors on 2 May 2019.

Gladmans News

Please see the link below regarding the good news about Gladmans. This will of course mean that the matter has to now go back to the Planning Inspector and be reassigned to a new Inspector.

GOOD NEWS!! The post office will re-open in the local shop on Mondays and Wednesdays for a trial period from 12.30 to 2pm commencing on Monday 4th December. The future of this facility will be dependent upon the amount of support it receives. We must give it all the support we can even if we only pop in and buy a couple of stamps!!

Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR) for the year ending 31 March 2018

TravelHero app

The parishes surrounding Canterbury, Faversham, Whitstable and Herne Bay have been selected as the first in the UK to pioneer a new free local transport app. The TravelHero app is designed to provide an easy-to-use tool to compare travel options in the local area for bus and cab journeys.

Available to download now from the App Store on iOS smartphones, local people can use TravelHero to plan door-to-door journeys by bus or cab, buy tickets by card or PayPal, and enjoy hassle-free travel using mobile tickets. There’s also a dedicated website for information at www.travelheroapp.com and a Facebook and Twitter page @TravelHeroApp.

TravelHero has brought together well-known bus service provider Stagecoach South East and Kent cab company Longley’s Private Hire to make travel easier for customers in the region.

TravelHero will particularly appeal to people travelling between towns and villages within East Kent, including students and young professionals and those who are occasional bus and cab users. Its features include:

Sophisticated journey planning with easy input of planned start and end points. The app will then calculate and offer different journey options using bus and cab travel, as well as walking

Tailored routes for individual needs, which give a breakdown of the cheapest and fastest travel methods to best meet the user’s ideal journey

Secure cashless payments through TravelHero can be made using PayPal or debit or credit card, so there’s no need to have cash for the bus or cab

Convenient mobile ticketing, as there’s no need to print tickets because they appear on smartphones ready to show the driver

Easy group bookings for up to eight people on one mobile ticket, for one price

Hassle-free travel with time-saving features such as favourite places which will allow for quick journey planning

Trusted suppliers with journeys delivered by well-established travel providers Stagecoach South East and Longleys Private Hire

An automatic public defibrillator is now available within the village of Blean. It is located on the wall of the village hall adjacent to the main entrance to the recreation ground. The defibrillator has been registered with the Ambulance Services and they will also be able to assist you if you need to use it. It is fully automatic and has spoken instructions which are simple to follow. At no time can anyone using it cause any harm to the ‘patient’ as the machine has built in failsafe steps.

Remember to always telephone 999 first.

BLEAN PARISH PLAN

The Parish Plan for 2015 – 2019 is now completed and printed.

Copies are available from the parish office on Tuesdays and Fridays and will be available at the monthly coffee mornings in the village hall or click on the link below to read on-line

This first response has been written after consultation with the Parish Councillors and attendance at two presentations held by the University of Kent. Blean Parish Council welcomes the publication of the Concept Master Plan, it has given an opportunity to enter into dialogue with the University and has ended speculation and rumours. At first sight the plan would appear to have severe implications to the village and the Tyler Hill Road, however at this point in the consultation we should be mindful that this is a conceptual plan – not a concrete indication of potential developments in our parish. The Northern Holdings [as named by the University] are, to a greater extent, agricultural in nature and reflect the rural aspect surrounding the village of Blean. Blean Parish Council have, and will continue, to strongly oppose, the building on and the loss of agricultural land in and around the village. The land provides a positive rural border between Tyler Hill village and Blean village. The area is served by a rural road, in places very narrow, named Tyler Hill Road. This road is not able to sustain any further traffic without causing danger to pedestrians, cyclists, farm vehicles and cars. This was illustrated recently with the Stagecoach bus diversion along the road, numerous skid marks, near misses and a considerable disruption to the quality of life for the residents of both villages took place. Blean Parish Council would strongly oppose any development that impacted on the traffic using the road. Due to the conceptual nature of the Master Plan there has been much speculation regarding wordings such as ‘Park and Ride’, ‘shuttle bus services’ and ‘utilising existing public roads’. All of these aspects if taken forward would have to be the subject of discussion with Blean Parish Council, Hackington Parish Council and Canterbury City Council. It should also be acknowledged that any move forward regarding development in this area would have to be accurately tested through Traffic and Transport Assessments, Ecological Impact Assessments, Sustainability Assessments etc. and further public consultations. To summarise, Blean Parish Council do strongly oppose any change in the usage of Tyler Hill Road from its present link between the villages and as a means of access to the agricultural land bordering its sides. We would strongly oppose any development in and around the historic building of St Cosmus and St Damian in the Blean Church. We would also be strongly opposed to any ‘carpet’ development along the boundaries of Tyler Hill Road. We would be strongly opposed to any development, be it building or transport links, that disrupted the ecological balance that exists at present. In conclusion, although the above outlines our potential opposition, Blean Parish Council would welcome the opportunity to continue in an open dialogue with the University of Kent regarding all proposals for the Northern Land Holdings. It is our hope that a balanced expansion of the University which would benefit the community of Blean and open up new opportunities for recreational, cultural, sport, economic and educational activities for all, can be achieved.